It has occurred to me what may be one of the reasons why i have had this weird dislike for programming “languages”. – First off – a language is a means of communication with someone. You immerse yourself in learning a language because you get to see how people using that language see the world. This is because not all languages look the same.
Take Arabic for instance, where you can do all sorts of weird crazy cool cool-looking things in writing. So you’re not just learning merely a way to communicate, but you delve into that people’s culture and who knows, maybe soul.
They say that the most efficient way of learning a new language is by immersing yourself in the learning process, a thing which i can totally understand, because it’s probably a fun process for the one who wants to learn, and focus is important. We don’t like to be disturbed.
Which brings me to the topic of programming “languages”, like Python, C++, Javascript, PHP, etc.
Are they really languages?
Language implies that they are used to communicate, but are you really communicating with anyone or are you just taking energy and running it through some mazes – all the computer microchips and components – and you control it in order to do something you want?
You’re not communicating with anyone. So why is it called a “language” when in reality, it’s a tool for exerting control or an instruction set?
Sure you can do pretty things at the expense of others, but why would everyone agree to call it something it’s not?